


To Give And To Take

by syniaie



Category: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: Being Really Gay, Decision Making, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 02:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19368364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syniaie/pseuds/syniaie
Summary: Balthier comes home for the last time.





	To Give And To Take

The armor weighed so heavy on his shoulders after all these years.

So long was it that he barely remembered the face of Her Highness Dalmasca as the youth he swore to protect. Now she was an experienced queen, ruling from what he had heard fairly and generously. Basch had to admit, he was proud - not that Queen Ashelia had been tethered to him previously. Dalmasca, once a home, so far away, now seemed as unfamiliar to him as the deep mist-covered valleys of the Feywood.

His thoughts swerved carefully back to his present tasks, his present life. In the back of his head, Basch mused quietly on how he was still responsive to the name given to him at birth.

Gabranth was barely a mask, now. Too long playing the part turns an actor into a muddled reflection of the character that was supposed to remain separate. He was still himself, but his brother had integrated into him in quiet, unnoticeable ways. He reveled in the distinction between the two of them - even if it made his job harder, he did not want to lose what little he had left.

So much had changed even here - Basch was now the oldest Judge Magister now watching over the Empire. Zargabaath, who had carefully trained him and helped him find his footing in the boots of another, had retired and was now living peacefully somewhere in the luxurious penthouses of Archades. Balancing on his own had been tricky, but he was prepared as solidly as he could have hoped for. Now, when he stretches his old bones and hears his joints pop, he wonders just how long it will be before he too took his leave from this tedious lie. 

Emperor Larsa didn't even need him anymore. His younger charge was now grown and sharp as a knife, but held fast to the optimism and determination of his childhood. The Empire flourished under him like nothing Basch had seen before in all his long years of service. His Lord caught plots against him before they were barely set in motion, and trained hard enough in combat that now he could best even Basch himself with relative ease. He felt for him the same swell of pride as he did for the Dalmascan Queen - a pride in the good the rulers kept and the gentle peace that had prevailed. 

Quietly, he sets down his pen and pushes the stacks of documents away, twisting slowly in his chair to look out over the Imperial City of Archades through the giant glass windows of his private office.

There was one thing, at least, that had remained a constant in his life. One that made his heart thud like a lovesick teenager instead of the old, worn down soldier he had become.

Balthier.

The pirate visited barely often enough, rarely staying longer than a night or two. Still, he made the best of it - talking to him until the light crept in through the curtains and tangling bodies until the sun was setting once more. The brief moments of relief from the normal into something so comforting was welcomed, and he knew the sky pirate found a bit of amusement in that. How odd, that the one thing he cling to be the one so far from his grasp.

Slowly, though, he managed to convince him to stay longer and longer, come by just a little more. Their careless romps evolved into tender cuddles and gentle lovemaking, talks into vulnerable moments of sweetness and love. He still remembers the first day the pirate finally responded to his 'I love you's, and he doubts he will ever forget.

They taught each other invaluable lessons. To Balthier, the joy of giving one's heart and having it accepted, to Basch, the reminder to retain some of his strength for himself. To both, to become better people, to find themselves more complete as beings when putting into action the advice given.

Balthier is his treasure, now. His heart had been taken by Basch in a display neither thought was possible, but incredibly welcomed all the same. It was the one thing holding the ageing Magister steady amongst the seemingly endless burdens that come alongside the title he had never asked for. 

Today… he was coming today. 

A soft little smile crept onto his face under the heavy mask he wore and warmth spread throughout his body. Just a little longer, and then he will be here. You can hold out.

The warmth faded with the hours, the endless scratch of pen on paper slowing as the sun set. He started to doubt his lover would actually arrive when there was a knock on the window.

Jolting up out of his paperwork induced stupor, he turned quickly to find the smooth pirate already stepping in, the latches on the windows no match for his sharp wit.

"Good evening, Your Honor. It is lovely to see you again."

He sighed in both relief and amused exasperation, taking off his helmet carefully and looking to him with the smile that he had been saving. "You know I have not patience enough for your games in the evening. Come."

Balthier obediently came forward, a playful grin dancing on his sharp features. "You should know I'm not one for comfort."

It made Basch laugh. "Who are you to talk about discomfort when the only sheets you sleep with are woven silks?"

"Touche."

They shared a quiet chuckle before sealing their reunion with a kiss, now that the games were over. Balthier purred as the Judge began trailing kisses along his jawline.

"You know, I've been thinking."

"A dangerous habit," came the gentle murmur into his ear.

"Yes, yes - I believe…"

The hesitation in his voice was prominent. Basch drew away, an eyebrow cocked. For the pirate to drop his suave attitude - this must be important. The silence stretched on a moment more.

"...I believe it is quite time I set down some roots."

It merely caused the armoured man to raise his eyebrow further. Balthier scowled.

"I mean - I would like to live here. In Archades, with you."

The silence was thick. His lover's face remained unmoving. 

"You - you wish to stay?..."

"That is what I said, was it not?"

The sky pirate's face burns pink, and it hits Basch that he was being serious. The sky pirate nobody could tame had just willingly put himself in a vulnerable position.

The warm, gentle smile that spread over his face made Balthier relax unconsciously in his arms. "You would stay?..."

"If my freedom kept, yes. I… Life is too short to waste chances and mourn for what never was."

The pirate found himself paused when those gentle lips covered his, a smile of his own blossoming as they kissed. Facing reality turned out not to be as bad as he thought it would.

"I will inform Lord Larsa shortly, as he will be expecting your leave." Balthier's hand stopped his before it found its way back to the oppressive steel helmet once more.

"My, my… Greeting me so just to leave so soon? Larsa is a patient boy, he can wait a little longer."

"He is a man now," Basch corrected. "...But I suppose the matter isn't that urgent…"

The smug grin that spread across the pirate's face made it more than worth staying.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a fluff fanatic and there is almost none for this pairing, so I have taken up the duty to provide for my own needs.


End file.
